"Because of the way the concentric circle monitors are designed, they are incredibly durable, that’s why you can walk into a club like the Croc or The Great American Music Hall and see that these monitors have endured a decade of non-stop abuse. You’ll find a monitor that works perfectly, even if it does have a boot print on the cover."

Edward Otto

The SM95-2 Coaxial Point-Source stage monitor is a staple of modern club stages, renowned for its incredible punch and clarity, favored for their practical indestructibility, envied for their incredibly compact foot-print. Talking to the front line guys at two of the west coast’s most reputed rock venues offers some insight into how the SM95-2 is a part of what makes these stages such a great place for performers to play.

Seattle’s Crocodile Café is rock and roll institution with a huge NW rep for being not only one of the birthplaces of the alternative rock revolution on the nineties, but a favorite stomping group for hundreds of famous names before and since. This highly regarded but far less than pompous Seattle destination relies almost exclusively on an arsenal of SM95-2’s for its stage monitoring.

“We chose McCauley’s SM95-2, point source monitors for our stage set up because they offer unlimited flexibility,” says Jim Anderson lead sound engineer for the Crocodile Café. “McCauley equipment makes the premier acts happy,” says Anderson. “They end their shows and say wow; telling me how great it sounded and saying that they want to come back. That’s why it’s worth it for us to invest in equipment that provides the best quality for the dollar. That is why I love to work with this the product; you just can’t get more bang for your buck.”

“McCauley’s concentric circle monitors have a small footprint, only about 18 square inches, but offer a very big sound,” says Ed Otto Sales Manager for McCauley Sound.

A night’s drive in the tour-van south is the San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall (GAMH). The city’s oldest night club opened in 1907 and offers nearly 5,000 square feet of concert hall space. Today it welcomes music lovers with big name acts, two cocktail bars, a modern kitchen and a reputation unlike any other venue in the Bay. With all of the great amenities, an early century “real San Francisco” vibe and street-cred for light-years around, they insist the stage experience must be top-notch.

“Since the very first day we put them into service we've been very pleased with the performance of the McCauley co-ax wedges,” says Lee Brenkman, GAMH’s primary sound technician of their 10, SM95-2’s. “The service and support has been outstanding.”